On the Pitch
Texas Tech soccer is in Durham, North Carolina as they will play No. 1 seed Duke on Friday night:
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: No. 8 Texas Tech (15-4-2) vs. No. 1 Duke (15-2-1)
DATE: Friday, November 22, 2024
TIME: 6:30 (ET)/5:30 (CT)
LOCATION: Durham, N.C. (Koskinen Stadium)
WATCH: ESPN+
On the Court (Basketball)
The Lady Raiders took down Abilene Christian 66-40 last night behind 23 points from Adlee Blacklock. The Lady Raiders will host New Orleans on Saturday before heading out to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam for the Thanksgiving holiday.
On the Gridiron
Texas Tech football released their game notes for Oklahoma State, including the availability report, which included a new player out for the season, linebacker Justin Horne.
OUT FOR SEASON
Dylan Spencer So. OLB Knee
Joseph Adedire Jr. OLB Knee
Vinny Sciury Sr. OL Knee
Cam’Ron Valdez Jr. RB Knee
E’Maurion Banks Jr. DL Knee
Justin Horne RFr. LB Knee
OUT FOR OKLAHOMA STATE
Bryce Ramirez Sr. LB Lower Leg
QUESTIONABLE FOR OKLAHOMA STATE
Reese Burkhardt Sr. K Arm
Jalin Conyers Sr. TE Neck
Micah Hudson Fr. WR Lower Leg
Trent Low Sr. LB Arm
Javeon Wilcox R-Fr. DB Knee
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams writes that now is not the time to play a certain true freshman quarterback and play for 2025:
Under a 2018 NCAA rule change, football players who have not previously redshirted can take part in up to four games without losing the year of eligibility. Freshman safety Oliver Miles is at the four-game limit, so Peyton Morgan, another freshman safety, will take Miles’ spot on special teams. The offensive line has had issues, so McGuire said guard Nick Fattig and true freshman tackle Jacob Ponton might get a chance.
Redshirt freshman receiver Kelby Valsin, showing up well in scrimmages for several weeks, might be ready for more, McGuire said. He’d like to see Micah Hudson return punts if Hudson has recovered from a recent injury.
Oh, and the big one: Will Hammond. The true freshman quarterback turned heads when he was pressed into duty for an injured Behren Morton the second half at TCU. When we asked Monday the plan for Hammond, McGuire said he would get “a lot more reps with the twos” going into the bowl game to make sure he’s ready to go.
In other words, don’t expect a wave of fresh young faces. Remember the 2023 Independence Bowl. The Red Raiders were depleted at receiver, stirring anticipation that McGuire would break the seal on true freshmen at those spots. What happened? They didn’t play — that night, or even this year as redshirt freshmen.
Red Raider Sports’ Justin Apodaca on the presser from Monday with head coach Joey McGuire:
The Red Raiders are looking to finish the season strong after dropping a tough one against Colorado before the bye week with a chance to have an eight win regular season for the first time since 2009, hoping to build momentum as McGuire continues to build his program despite the frustration of the past two weeks.
“Y’all heard me say this a million times, and I’m just frustrated. I live it every day, this is my life. So I get the frustration. I appreciate it,” McGuire said. “I really appreciate it, because we’re lucky at a place that we have such a passionate fan base. I understand the frustration.”
“I also understand that getting eight wins, hadn’t been done since 2009…whenever I say that, it’s not good enough, right? We all know that it’s not good enough. I am here to win the Big 12, it’s not good enough. But to grow this program and push it forward. It’s really important our guys understand how important this week is. I think you’re going to see that on Saturday, on how hard we play, of how important this game is to get seven wins.”